This paper presents some investigations on the effect of processing parameters on the emission of electromagnetic radiation (EMR) during plastic deformation and crack propagation in copper-zinc alloys. Timing of the EMR emissions, maximum stress during crack instability, stress-intensity factor, elastic strain energy release rate, maximum EMR amplitude, RMS value of EMR amplitude, EMR frequency and electromagnetic energy release rate were analysed for the effect of rolling directions at different percentage of zinc content in Cu-Zn alloy specimens. The same parameters were also analysed for 68-32 Cu-Zn alloy specimens at different annealing temperatures and at different angles θ, to the rolling direction. EMR emissions are observed to be highly anisotropic in nature. At θ=45° to 60°, marked changes in mechanical and electromagnetic parameters were observed. Specimens annealed at 500 °C, just above the recrystallization temperature, and at 700 °C, when grain-size growth is rapid, EMR responses have been found to have well-defined patterns.

Tolerance is almost ubiquitous during the whole product lift cycle and is imperative for seamless integration of CAD and CAM. Based on the mathematical definition of tolerance, a 3D tolerancing system, 3DTS, is presented with its design principle, system architecture and key functions. The following functional modules, tolerance modeling, semantics interpretation, 3D tolerance analysis, are described in detail. To make the tolerancing system robust and efficient, many techniques such as hierarchical tolerance representation, rule-based evaluation and non-intersection determination of tolerance zone have been devised. Tested by many samples, this system shows good robustness and practicability.

This paper describes the finite element (FE) analysis technique to predict fatigue life using the narrow band frequency response approach. The life prediction results are useful for improving the component design methodology at the very early development stage. The approach is found to be suitable for a periodic loading but requires very large time records to accurately describe random loading processes. This paper is aimed at investigating the effects of surface treatments on the fatigue life of the free piston linear engine’s components. Finite element modelling and frequency response analysis were conducted using computer aided design and finite element analysis commercial codes, respectively. In addition, the fatigue life prediction was carried out using finite element based fatigue analysis commercial code. Narrow band approach was specially applied to predict the fatigue life of the free piston linear engine cylinder block. Significant variation was observed between the surface treatments and untreated cylinder block of free piston engine. The obtained results indicated that nitrided treatment yielded the longest life. This approach can determine premature products failure phenomena, and therefore can reduce time to market, improve product reliability and customer confidence.

This paper describes a methodology for computation of reliability of members of fixed offshore platform structures, with respect to fatigue. Failure criteria were formulated using fracture mechanics principle. The problem is coined as a “first passage problem”. The method was illustrated through application to a typical plane frame structure. The fatigue reliability degradation curve established can be used for planning in-service inspection of offshore platforms. A very limited parametric study was carried out to obtain insight into the effect of important variables on the fatigue reliability.

The dynamic characteristics of ground soil using micro-tremor observation in Asia (Zushi and Ogasawara (Japan), Xi’an (China), Manila (Philippines), and Gujarat (India)) are studied. Ground micro-tremor signals were observed and analyzed by fast Fourier transform method (FFT). The response of ground soil to frequency of ground micro-tremor is revealed, and functions with frequency-dependence and frequency-selection of micro-tremor for different foundation soil strata are also researched. The horizontal to vertical spectral ratio (H/V, Nakamura technique) of micro-tremor observed at the surface ground was used to evaluate the site’s predominant period. This paper also discusses the application of micro-tremor on site safety evaluation, and gives the observed calculation results obtained at multiple points. The experimental foundation and the deduction process of the method are described in detail. Some problems of the method are pointed out. Potential use of the technique’s good expandable nature makes it a useable means for preventing and reducing disaster’s harmful effects.

Deformation and dislocations of segments of shield tunnel in construction stage have apparent effect on tunnel structure stress and even cause local cracks and breakage in tunnel. 3D finite element method was used to analyze two segment ring models under uniform injected pressure: (1) segment ring without wedge-shaped segment, which has 16 types of preinstall erection tolerance; (2) segment ring with wedge-shaped segment, which has no preinstall erection tolerance. The analysis results indicate that different erection tolerances can cause irregular deformation in segment ring under uniform injected pressure, and that the tolerance values are enlarged further. Wedge-shaped segment apparently affects the overall deformation of segment ring without erection tolerances. The uniform injected pressure can cause deformation of ring with wedge-shaped segment irregular, and dislocations also appear in this situation. The stress of segment with erection tolerances is much larger than that of segment without erection tolerances. Enlarging the central angle of wedge-shaped segment can make the irregular deformation and dislocations of segments smaller. The analysis results also provide basis for erection tolerance control and improvement of segment constitution.

This work investigates the transient behaviour of a phase change material based cool thermal energy storage (CTES) system comprised of a cylindrical storage tank filled with encapsulated phase change materials (PCMs) in spherical container integrated with an ethylene glycol chiller plant. A simulation program was developed to evaluate the temperature histories of the heat transfer fluid (HTF) and the phase change material at any axial location during the charging period. The results of the model were validated by comparison with experimental results of temperature profiles of HTF and PCM. The model was also used to investigate the effect of porosity, Stanton number, Stefan number and Peclet number on CTES system performance. The results showed that increase in porosity contributes to a higher rate of energy storage. However, for a given geometry and heat transfer coefficient, the mass of PCM charged in the unit decreases as the increase in porosity. The St number as well as the Ste number is also influential in the performance of the unit. The model is a convenient and more suitable method to determine the heat transfer characteristics of CTES system. The results reported are much useful for designing CTES system.

Entrained flow adsorption using activated carbon as the adsorbent is widely adopted for PCDDs/Fs-abatement in municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) process. The effects of operating parameters including flue gas temperature, feeding rate of activated carbon, polychlorinated dibenzodioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDDs/Fs) concentration at the inlet of the air pollution control device (APCD), filter materials, pressure drop on PCDDs/Fs removal efficiency are reviewed and commented upon in this paper. Evaluation on the various mechanistic models for entrained flow adsorption is carried out based on the computational simulation in terms of the actual operating condition and theoretical analysis. Finally, an advancement of entrained flow adsorption in combination of dual bag filter is introduced.

High oil production from the Proterozoic formation of Shen 229 block in Damingtun Depression, Liaohe Basin, China, indicates the presence of natural fractured reservoir whose production potential is dominated by the structural fracture. A consistent structural model and good knowledge of the fracture systems are therefore of key importance in reducing risk in the development strategies. So data from cores and image logs have been collected to account for the basic characteristics of fracture, and then the analyzed results were integrated with the structural model in order to restrict the fracture network development during the structural evolvement. The structural evolution of the Proterozoic reservoir with time forms the basis for understanding the development of the 3D fracture system. Seismic interpretation and formation correlation were used to build a 3D geological model. The fault blocks that compose the Proterozoic formation reservoir were subsequently restored to their pre-deformation. From here, the structures were kinematically modeled to simulate the structural evolution of the reservoirs. At each time step, the dilatational and cumulative strain was calculated throughout the modelling history. The total strain which records the total spatial variation in the reservoir due to its structural history, together with core data, well data and the lithology distribution, was used to simulate geologically realistic discrete fracture networks. The benefit of this technique over traditional curvature analysis is that the structural evolution is taken into account, a factor that mostly dominates fracture formation.

Assessment of mass transfer characteristics of pervaporation (PV) treatment of wastewater contaminated with chlorinated hydrocarbons is of great importance for water treatment plant operators conducting initial evaluation, process optimization, and process economics. While a membrane plays a central role in pervaporation processes and separation efficiency, the mass transfer in the liquid layer next to the membrane surface is of equal, if not greater importance. It is one of the few process parameters that can be adjusted in situ to manipulate the outcome of a pervaporation process. In this study, a bench scale pervaporation experiment of removing a common chlorinated hydrocarbon from water was carried out and the results of it were compared to the ones based on well-known semi-empirical correlations. The mass transfer coefficients from the experiments, ranging from 0.8×10⁻⁵~2.5×10⁻⁵ m/s under the operating conditions, are higher than those predicted by the correlation. The corresponding separation factors under varying flow velocities are determined to be between 310~950.

Based on the widely used DRASTIC method, a fuzzy pattern recognition and optimization method was proposed and applied to the fissured-karstic aquifer of Zhangji area for assessing groundwater vulnerability to pollution. The result is compared with DRASTIC method. It is shown that by taking the fuzziness into consideration, the fuzzy pattern recognition and optimization method reflects more efficiently the fuzzy nature of the groundwater vulnerability to pollution and is more applicable in reality.

Based on analyzing the surface air temperature series in the Southern and Northern Hemisphere and the tropical cyclone (TC) over the western North Pacific Ocean, the relationships between climatic warming and the frequency and intensity of tropical cyclone are investigated. The results showed that with the climatic warming in both hemispheres, the frequency of the tropical cyclone over the western North Pacific Ocean reduces and its intensity weakens simultaneously. A possible explanation might be that the cold air invasion from the Southern Hemisphere weakens due to global warming.

The interaction by hydrogen bond formation of some primary alcohols (1-heptanol, 1-octanol and 1-decanol) with esters (methyl methacrylate, ethyl methacrylate and butyl methacrylate) was investigated in non-polar solvents viz., n-heptane, CCl₄ and benzene by means of FTIR spectroscopy. Formation constants and free energy changes of complex formation were determined. The dependence of the equilibrium constants and free energy changes of complex formation on the alkyl chain length of both the alcohols and esters are discussed. The solvent effect on the hydrogen bond formation is discussed in terms of specific interaction between the solute and solvent.

In this paper a novel 7-lump kinetic model is proposed to describe residual oil catalytic cracking, in which coke is lumped separately for accurate prediction. The reactor block is modeled as a combination of an ideal pipe flow reactor (PFR) and a continuously stirred tank reactor (CSTR). Unit factors are designed to correct the deviation between model predictions and practical plant data and tuned by modified Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm. The parameters estimated are reliable and good agreement between the model predictions and plant observations is observed. The model helps us get good insight into the performance of an industrial riser reactor that would be useful for optimization of residual oil catalytic cracking.

Pattern classification is an important field in machine learning; least squares support vector machine (LSSVM) is a powerful tool for pattern classification. A new version of LSSVM, SVD-LSSVM, to save time of selecting hyper parameters for LSSVM is proposed. SVD-LSSVM is trained through singular value decomposition (SVD) of kernel matrix. Cross validation time of selecting hyper parameters can be saved because a new hyper parameter, singular value contribution rate (SVCR), replaces the penalty factor of LSSVM. Several UCI benchmarking data and the Olive classification problem were used to test SVD-LSSVM. The result showed that SVD-LSSVM has good performance in classification and saves time for cross validation.

In order to improve the thermostability of β-1,3-1,4-glucanase, evolutionary molecular engineering was used to evolve the β-1,3-1,4-glucanase from Bacillus subtilis ZJF-1A5. The process involves random mutation by error-prone PCR and DNA shuffling followed by screening on the filter-based assay. Two mutants, EGs1 and EGs2, were found to have four and five amino acid substitutions, respectively. These substitutions resulted in an increase in melting temperature from T_m=62.5 °C for the wild-type enzyme to T_m=65.5 °C for the mutant EGs1 and 67.5 °C for the mutant EGs2. However, the two mutated enzymes had opposite approaches to produce reducing sugar from lichenin with either much higher (28%) for the former or much lower (21.6%) for the latter in comparison with their parental enzymes. The results demonstrate that directed evolution is an effective approach to improve the thermostability of a mesophilic enzyme.

CdS/SiO₂ nanowire arrays and CdS nanobelts were synthesized by thermal evaporation of CdS and CdO mixture powders, with highly selective etching occurring on the silicon substrate surfaces. Study of the growth mechanism of CdS/SiO₂ nanowire arrays and the growth process of CdS nanobelts showed that the growth of CdS dendrites plays an important role in the formation of CdS/SiO₂ nanowire arrays, and that the mechanism of CdS/SiO₂ nanowire arrays growth was in good agreement with “self-assembling nanoelectrochemistry”. In the thermal evaporation process, an interaction between Si from silicon substrate and Cd took place.

Current research focussed on the assessment of metal machining process parameters and on the development of adaptive control, shows that machine performance, work-piece and tool material selections, tool life, quality of machined surfaces, the geometry of cutting tool edges, and cutting conditions are closely related to the cutting forces. This information is of great interest to cutting tool manufactures and users alike. Over the years there have been significant developments and improvements in the equipment used to monitor such forces. In 1930 mechanical gauges were replaced by resistance strain gauges, and some 30 years later compact air gauge dynamometers were invented. Since this time intensive research has continued being directed towards developing new approaches to cutting force measurement. The Kistler Company, well-known manufacturer of acceleration and piezoelectrical dynamometers, has worked in this field for more than three decades, and developed very sensitive devices. While leading manufacturing research laboratories are often equipped with this technology, classical electrical strain gauges and other dynamometers of individual designs are still commonly used in industry. The present paper presents data obtained using different techniques of force measurement in metal machining processes. In particular, areas of uncertainties, illustrated through results concerning the turning process, are analysed, leading to an appraisal of the current status of these measurements and their significance.

In all machining processes, tool wear is a natural phenomenon and it leads to tool failure. The growing demands for high productivity of machining need use of high cutting velocity and feed rate. Such machining inherently produces high cutting temperature, which not only reduces tool life but also impairs the product quality. Metal cutting fluid changes the performance of machining operations because of their lubrication, cooling and chip flushing functions, but the use of cutting fluid has become more problematic in terms of both employee health and environmental pollution. The minimization of cutting fluid also leads to economical benefits by way of saving lubricant costs and workpiece/tool/machine cleaning cycle time. The concept of minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) has been suggested since a decade ago as a means of addressing the issues of environmental intrusiveness and occupational hazards associated with the airborne cutting fluid particles on factory shop floors. This paper deals with experimental investigation on the role of MQL by vegetable oil on cutting temperature, tool wear, surface roughness and dimensional deviation in turning AISI-1060 steel at industrial speed-feed combinations by uncoated carbide insert. The encouraging results include significant reduction in tool wear rate, dimensional inaccuracy and surface roughness by MQL mainly through reduction in the cutting zone temperature and favorable change in the chip-tool and work-tool interaction.

Unconditionally stable higher-order accurate time step integration algorithms based on the differential quadrature method (DQM) for second-order initial value problems were applied and the quadrature rules of DQM, computing of the weighting coefficients and choices of sampling grid points were discussed. Some numerical examples dealing with the heat transfer problem, the second-order differential equation of imposed vibration of linear single-degree-of-freedom systems and double-degree-of-freedom systems, the nonlinear move differential equation and a beam forced by a changing load were computed, respectively. The results indicated that the algorithm can produce highly accurate solutions with minimal time consumption, and that the system total energy can remain conservative in the numerical computation.

Rail wear has dramatic impact on track performance, ride quality and maintenance costs. The amount of rail wear is influenced by various elements among which geometric parameters play an important role. The amount of wear in Iran’s railway lines and its imposed maintenance costs oblige us to make modifications on the various geometrical parameters. In order to ensure the effectiveness of these changes, it is necessary to investigate these parameters and their effects on the wear. This research is aimed at studying the effects of different track geometrical parameters on the vertical and lateral wear by conducting a three phase field investigation. The first phase was carried out at the switches of a station, the second phase at a straight line, and the third at a curved line out of the station. The results obtained are analyzed and the role of each track geometrical parameter in the rail wear is discussed. Recommendations for prevention or reduction of rail wear are presented.

Heat and mass transfer analysis of an incompressible, laminar boundary layer over solar flat plate collector evaporation systems for tannery effluent (soak liquor) is investigated. The governing equations are solved for various liquid to air velocity ratios. Profiles of velocity, temperature and concentration as well as their gradients are presented. The heat transfer and mass transfer coefficients thus obtained are used to evaluate mass of water evaporated for an inclined fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP) solar flat plate collector (FPC) with and without cover. Comparison of these results with the experimental performance shows encouraging trend of good agreement between them.

The control objective and several key parameters of PEMFC hybrid system are analyzed. Control strategy design and energy optimization simulation are made individually for given cycle case and realtime operating case. For the given cycle case, genetic algorithm is adopted to solve the multi-constraint combinatorial optimization problem. Simulation result showed the algorithm’s feasibility. As far as the realtime operation is concerned, based on the original fuzzy control strategy, the fuel cell voltage and voltage variance parameters are introduced to apply two-level modification on the fuzzy control output. The result reveals that the improved fuzzy control strategy can enhance the fuel cell efficiency and reduce the power fluctuations.